First Test between SA and IND: Highlights for head coach Rahul Dravid as India’s record in Test matches against SENA nations suffers.
South Africa soundly defeated India at the SuperSport Park in Centurion, as Dean Elgar and his team dashed India’s dreams of winning their last Test match.
India, under by captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid, wanted to win a bilateral Test series on South African territory for the first time.
However, it was not to be as the Proteas crushed India in the first Test of their two-match series by an innings and 32 runs in just three days.
Over the three days, India’s performance was below par with the bat and the ball. The team lacked ferocity in the field, the captain mishandled his bowling changes, and the hitters fell short of their enormous reputations in Centurion.
RECORD UNDERWHELMING IN SENA NATIONS
It’s interesting to note that, when playing in SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia), India has a very poor record under Dravid’s guidance.
Following India’s loss to New Zealand in the 2021 World Test Championship final, the renowned Indian batsman assumed the role of head coach.
India has only been able to win one Test match in SENA countries since that time. With the captain at the time, Virat Kohli, led India to a 113-run victory over the Proteas on Boxing Day in 2021, their sole victory in the SENA nations.
India has played six Test matches in SENA countries since Dravid took charge, winning one and losing five. In actuality, India has dropped its past five Test matches played in nations in the South East Asia region.
OVERT DEFIANCE IN FIGHTING SPIRIT
Even more worrisome is the absence of close games and a determination to win the game, which was apparent under the tenure of India’s last head coach, Ravi Shastri.
India accomplished a feat no other Asian team had accomplished during Shastri’s tenure as head coach: defeating Australia in Australia. For Indian Test lovers, winning twice was the cherry on top.
India defeated Australia 2-1 thanks to a flourishing pace attack and the tenacity of players like Cheteshwar Pujara. India pulled off the ruse again in 2021, this time leading a youthful team captained by Ajinkya Rahane.
Under Shastri’s leadership, India did lose 1-4 to England in 2018, 1-2 to South Africa in 2018, and 0-2 to New Zealand in 2020, but it was never for lack of effort or willpower on the field.
With the exception of the match at Lord’s, India’s Test series against England in 2018 was a fierce contest that went right down to the wire.
Nonetheless, the Indian Test team’s unwavering perseverance and never-say-die mentality persisted and became a trademark, even when the outcomes went either way. The lack of that fighting spirit appears to be a result of Dravid’s mentoring.
The greatest example of this occurred during India’s defeat to Australia in the WTC Final at Kennington Oval. When it mattered most, India, who had overpowered Australia throughout their victory in the Border-Gavaskar series, were absent.
India allowed Travis Head and Steve Smith to steal the match after having Australia under control at 76 for 3 in the opening stanza. Australia amassed 468 runs thanks to a 285-run partnership between both batsmen, who both scored hundreds.
GOING AHEAD
The onus will be on Dravid and Rohit to inspire their team to turn the page after a crushing loss in Centurion, as India prepares to play the Proteas in the second game of the series at Wanderers Stadium in Cape Town, another frontier never crossed by India in Test cricket.
Even a tied series would be seen as a win for India in South Africa, where they have lost seven of their eight Test series. But in order for that to occur, the top-ranked Test team in the world must demonstrate their mettle and win a Test match for the first time ever at Wanderers.
January 3 is when the second and final Test match of the series is scheduled to begin.
